The terms culturally relevant teaching (alternatively culturally responsive education or culturally responsive pedagogy, appearing as “CRE” throughout this brief) constitute a significant intellectual contribution to the field of education and educational literature. With roots extending at least as far back as the 1930s with Carter G. Woodson’s The Miseducation of the Negro, the concept has become fertile soil for the ongoing critique and advancement of theories of teaching and learning in areas ranging from curriculum and instruction to program design and disciplinary practices. However, even the most extensive reviews of its multiplicity of uses has had difficulty discerning or outlining the applications at the level of district or state policy. The purpose of this brief is to outline the extensive history and development of CRE in order to determine its most immediate practical applications. As suggested by gaps and inconsistencies in both the theoretical and empirical literature, this brief points out potential next steps and future directions for CRE that sit at the intersections of research, policy, and practice.